Preserving memories from your wedding

Wedding photographs are among the most important family photographs ever taken, and these mementos are often handed down from generation to generation. In order to preserve these memories properly, you have to take action.

Most brides and grooms assume that their color snapshots and portraits will survive in their wedding albums and picture frames as well as old black-and-white photos did. Unfortunately, that's not true, say preservation experts. If you live another 30 or 40 years, you're likely to outlive your color photos.

Shortly after your ceremony, you should take the time to identify what the pictures show, because only photos that are identified and labeled are worth saving. Buy a 6B drawing pencil or, second choice, a Stabilo "All" pencil. They're available at photo and art shops. Use it to write names and dates on the backs of photos. (Never the fronts.) Do not use ballpoint pens -- they
leave indentations.

When identifying the participants, write down their full names. You may know what you mean by "Grandma Henken," but your descendants may not. Don't be satisfied with "Father" or "Cousin Louise."

Avoid heat, humidity

The greatest evil to prints, slides and videos is variation in heat and humidity. They rapidly age images. The worst places to store them are in the basement (too damp) or attic (too hot). Fireplace mantels and walls with heat sources nearby also are poor. Wooden file cabinets are dangerous to photos. What's optimal is a cool, dry, dark place, with a steady temperature
under 68 degrees. A safe level of relative humidity is 30 to 40 percent. A closet in an air-conditioned, first-floor room may be your best bet. Keep the negatives there, too.

So what do we do?

Look for albums that have plastic enclosures of archival quality. Plastic pages should be made of polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester. Paper pages should be acid-free. Another very good method is the one our ancestors used: Corner mounts in a scrapbook. The glue touches only the page, not the print.

Displaying photos

Of course, some of your photos from your wedding should be displayed prominently throughout your home. Choose an elegant collage print as a beautiful way to remember your special day.